After the Northwestern annual spring scrimmage one season, NU Head Coach Pat Fitzgerald regaled the media with a tale of being in Dallas Cowboys training camp with Troy Aikman. Fitzgerald, like all football loving boys who grew up in Chicagoland in the 1980s dreamed of being Mike Singletary and Walter Payton.
Fitzgerald’s “glory days” stories are always entertaining. He once told another tale of seeing an offensive lineman picking up an opposing defender by the throat and slamming him down.
His answer to the survey I conducted for RedEye was even better. I asked a group of Big Ten football players who their least favorite player to play against was:
“Can I name more than one? It was murderer’s row. You had Ron Dayne, Tim Biakabatuka, Eddie George. Without a doubt Rod Payne was one of the best offensive linemen I ever played against. He was smart and nasty all wrapped up in a package of dynamite. He’d rock your ass. He was a great player.
“Orlando Pace was unbelievable. He was a big ol’ dancing bear, but when he got his claws in you, forget about it.”
The survey also has Northwestern Super Back Dan Vitale and cornerback Nick Van Hoose. Be sure to go here to check it out.
Pat Fitzgerald and his Wildcats begin Big Ten play at home versus the Minnesota Golden Gophers tomorrow, 11 AM kickoff on BTN. Here’s the full game preview and prediction. Northwestern is 4-0 and ranked #16 in the AP poll.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. The website is also featured on News Now.
Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye. He also appears regularly on numerous talk shows all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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